First CWD Cases Confirmed in Tom Green County Amid Ongoing 'Ghost Deer' Investigation

SAN ANGELO, TX – Two positive cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) have been confirmed at a Tom Green County deer breeding facility owned by Ken Schlaudt, 64, of San Antonio. The samples, taken from white-tailed deer, were confirmed by both the state and federal laboratories and are the first detections of CWD in the county.

The facility is one of several linked to the recent “Ghost Deer” investigation, in which Texas Game Wardens uncovered widespread, coordinated deer breeding violations including, but not limited to: smuggling captive breeder deer and free-range white-tailed deer between breeder facilities and ranches; CWD testing violations; license violations; and misdemeanor and felony drug charges relating to the possession and mishandling of prescribed sedation drugs classified as controlled substances.

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“These intentional acts jeopardize the health and wellbeing of every deer in the state by circumventing the laws in place to prevent the spread of CWD,” said Col. Ronald VanderRoest, TPWD Law Enforcement Director. “Preventing scenarios like this is why these requirements exist in the first place, and underscores why Texas Game Wardens diligently investigated this case and will continue to enforce these regulations.”

When following proper transfer permit procedures, captive-raised deer undergo antemortem (live) testing for CWD before being moved to a different ranch or breeding facility. By law, it is required that every deer be individually identified and have movement and testing records submitted to the Texas Wildlife Information Management Services (TWIMS) database. These measures are designed to help limit the spread of CWD.

Due to several violations linked to this facility during the investigation, including felony tampering with governmental records and violation of disease monitoring protocols that increased the risk of spreading CWD to other parts of the state, all deer at Schlaudt’s facility were removed and submitted for disease testing.

Samples from each deer were sent to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, where the findings for two deer were identified as suspect CWD positives. Per protocol, those samples were forwarded to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa where the positive results were confirmed.

Due to negligent recordkeeping and intentional testing violations associated with Schlaudt’s facility, it is unknown exactly how many CWD-exposed deer have been moved or what other ranches and facilities across the state may be affected.

The “Ghost Deer” investigation began in 2024 after game wardens discovered violations during a traffic stop in Montgomery County. Their work eventually revealed one of the largest deer smuggling networks in state history, resulting in 24 suspects and approximately 1,400 charges filed across 11 counties.

TPWD remains committed to enforcing the necessary regulations to protect the health of both captive and free-ranging deer populations and to reducing the likelihood of further disease spread, added VanderRoest.

For more information about CWD, visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd/.